Assessing school safety against natural and human-made hazards: A case study of Gilgit city, Pakistan

Authors

  • Awais Ali Khan Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Engineering and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
  • Irfan Ahmad Rana Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Engineering and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
  • Fawad Ahmed Najam NUST Institute of Civil Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Engineering and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

Keywords:

Multi-hazard; students: education: school safety: response: crisis; Pakistan

Abstract

Background: School-going children belong to a vulnerable group of society. Natural and human-made hazards pose a great threat to school-children. This calls for making schools resilient against external threats. Therefore, it is imperative to assess school safety that reflects ground realities, and so that appropriate preparedness measures can be taken. Despite being prone to natural and human-made hazards, limited studies are available on school safety in developing countries, especially Pakistan.

Objectives: This study aims to assess current preparedness levels of schools in Gilgit, Pakistan, and identify institutional challenges for effective disaster risk reduction.

Methods: An emergency preparedness checklist was developed through a rigorous literature review. Indicators were classified into building and construction, planning and design, and awareness and supply component. Eleven high schools were surveyed and evaluated based on the checklist. 18 key informant interviews from school principals and government officials were conducted to identify challenges faced in ensuring school emergency preparedness. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were employed to determine the level of preparedness and institutional challenges, respectively.

Results: Results have shown that school emergency preparedness is inadequate. Proper building design and construction is lacking. School administrations are unaware of the Pakistan School Safety Framework. Limited information is posted in schools which can cause problems in the safe evacuation of students. Moreover, life-saving and rescue equipment is not available in the surveyed schools.

Conclusions: This study has proposed a comprehensive safety checklist, customized for assessing emergency preparedness of schools. Using the proposed checklist, emergency preparedness can be evaluated for different tiers of schools. The proposed checklist can be used in streamlining the Pakistan School Safety framework and related policies.

 

Author Biographies

Awais Ali Khan, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Engineering and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

 

 

Irfan Ahmad Rana, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Engineering and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

 

 

 

Fawad Ahmed Najam, NUST Institute of Civil Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Engineering and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan

 

 

Downloads

Published

2020-12-31

How to Cite

Khan, A. A., Rana, I. A., & Najam, F. A. (2020). Assessing school safety against natural and human-made hazards: A case study of Gilgit city, Pakistan. Journal of Geography and Social Sciences (JGSS), 2(2), 133–147. Retrieved from http://jgssjournal.uob.edu.pk/journal/index.php/jgss/article/view/15

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2020): Volume 2, Issue 2, December 2020

Section

Articles